Manaslu and Annapurna Circuit Trek in Nepal Himalayas

The adventure begins when you arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in the capital city of Kathmandu. Once through immigration, you will be met by your representative from Himalayan Planet Adventures and taken to your hotel to relax. After a rest, there will be an orientation along with a wonderful welcome dinner where you will enjoy traditional hospitality, local culture, and Nepali cuisine. 

The Kathmandu Valley is an ancient place where travelers passed for centuries following the salt and silk trading routes. Its narrow streets, amazing temples, an awesome palace, and more are there to explore. There are more than 1000 temples in the Kathmandu Valley. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley. We will only have time to explore three of them. Meet holy men (Sadhus) at Pashupatinath, the most sacred Hindu temple in all of Nepal. Colorfully dressed Sadhus along with amusing monkeys will impress and delight any visitor. Then it’s off to Boudhanath, the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal (and third largest in the world) where you will encounter refugees from Tibet. The final UNESCO World Heritage Site is the ancient kingdom city of Bhaktapur with its 55-window palace along with its many Hindu temples. Here the streets are narrow with hidden squares to come across. In the evening, you will return to your hotel for the night as you prepare for your journey the next day.

Today’s journey is overland as we clear the rim of the Kathmandu Valley and follow along the broad Trisuli River. We cross over to the city of Dhading before making our way on narrow roads through the jungles on our way to the village of Arughat Bazar. This journey will take you into the very heart of Nepal where you will see jungles and local villages with traditional farms. Arughat Bazar is the largest village on the Budhi Gandaki River.

When we change the vehicle the drives follow along with the west side of the Budhi Gandaki River. The journey will take us to the delightful little village of Soti Khola where the Soti Khola (river) joins the mighty Budhi Gandaki. Here there is a wonderful little tea house where we will spend the night. Driving time is 8 – 9 hours.

We cross a suspension bridge over the Soti Khola as we make our way northward. We will pass through jungles as well as quaint villages. You will even find coffee growing in this area which is a new crop in Nepal and produces some of the finest tasting coffee in the world. The trail is right along the banks of the Budhi Gandaki as we make our way to the village of Machhakholagaon. It is situated on the confluence of the Machha Khola (Fish River) and the Budhi Gandaki. There is good fish here for dinner if you wish, or traditional Nepali food. Be sure to try the yak cheese momo which is a favorite here. Trekking time is 6 – 7 hours.

The journey today takes us along impressive Buddhist Mani Walls (Prayers carved in stone) and through the village of Tatopani where there is a large hot spring. Hot water drips from the sides of the cliff and the trek through here feels almost tropical. Jagat village is a wonderful place with its flagstone streets. We are increasing in elevation and the Budhi Gandaki River features some impressive rapids. Trekking time is 6 – 7 hours.

The trek today continues to follow the Budhi Gandaki as we rise in elevation. In time, we come to a trail that is carved out of the side of the cliff high above the river where we can look down on eagles soaring on the rising air currents. This gorge is uninhabited and features impressive waterfalls. At other times, we discover small villages along with forests of tall pine trees as well as bamboo. The journey takes 6 – 7 hours until we come to the village of Deng where we will spend the night.

We continue to climb, crossing the Budhi Gandaki River on a small bridge. Our faithful friend continues to get narrower and narrower as we make our way toward its source. There are more waterfalls and the scenery continues to change as well as the plant life with this higher elevation. We cross the Shringi Khola as we enter the village of Ghap where we will have lunch.

We cross the Budhi Gandaki River again as we enter into the Budhi Gandaki Valley. We make our way over a large boulder while passing through deep and dark forests of fir and rhododendron which come into full bloom in the spring of each year. We are definitely among the Tibetan people with their unique houses and farms. Our trekking time is 7 – 8 hours until we reach the village of Namrung to spend the night.

We now enter what is known as the Nupri Region with the Tibetan people. Here it is common for women to have more than one husband. This is also a part of Tibetan tradition. We find Buddhist monasteries as well as followers of the ancient Bön religion, which predates Buddhism in Tibet. You can see the influence of the Bön religion in the religious paintings of Tibet Buddhism. Our journey has taken us to new heights as we reach Sama Gompa which is a large Tibetan community. There is a large Buddhist monastery here in this village. This day will also offer a most incredible view of Mt. Manaslu. Trekking time is 4 – 5 hours.

The higher elevation requires us to spend a day to allow our bodies to adjust to the thinning air of the high Himalayas. We will rest today, plus have a chance to explore the village and its monastery. We will again see impressive views of Mt. Manaslu rising above the village. We will return to our tea house for the night. 

We sadly say goodbye to Sama Gompa and all of its wonderful hospitality we’ve enjoyed for two nights. These Tibetan people enjoy visitors and appreciate that they usually spend two nights in their community. The trail makes its way down to the Budhi Gandaki, which looks nothing like what we saw at Arughat Bazar. It is more of a large stream crashing over the Rocky River bed. We will pass many Mani Walls then climb upwards to reach the village of Samdo where we will spend the night. Trekking time is 3 – 4 hours.

We pretty much leave civilization behind as we make our way to the Larkya La Rest House. Don’t expect much in the way of accommodations here. It is a good shelter from the weather. The trail goes in and out of gorges with some climbing in elevation. Enjoy the night at the rest house as tomorrow you will climb to the top o Larkya La Pass. Trekking time is 4 – 5 hours.

It’s an early morning breakfast as we have lots of climbing to do before we reach the top of Larkya La Pass. It’s a challenge, but what a view from on top! From here, we can see the mountains of Manaslu, Annapurna, and the Tibetan Plateau. Once we crest Larkya La Pass, the trail descends quickly to Bimtang. The name means the plains of sand in the Tibetan language. It is a huge valley surrounded by incredible snowcapped peaks that rise majestically above it. We find civilization again here in Bimtang where we spend the night at a nice tea house. Trekking time is longer today, between 7 – 9 hours.

The scenery is changing as well as the jungles with the lower elevation. We are entering into the region of the Annapurna Mountains. We will be able to see the Marsyangdi Valley below us today. Our journey will take us to Dharapani via the little village of Tilje and Thonje. We overnight at Dharapani after a trek of 7 – 8 hours.

The journey into the Annapurna Mountains requires us to enter some dense forests with steep ridges. The highlight of the day will be the sight of Lamjung Himal, Annapurna II as well as Annapurna IV. Chame is our destination which is a home to a small, indigenous tribal people. There is also a wonderful hot spring here to relax those tired muscles from days of climbing and trekking. Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours. We will overnight at a tea house in Chame where we will experience this ethnic group’s unique hospitality.

We cross the river this morning. The trail now hugs the northern bank of the river as we later begin to discover apple orchards near the village of Bhartang. These orchards are famous throughout Nepal for their apples which are highly prized in the cities. We soon discover a bridge, which leads to a steep (but short) climb through pine forests to the top of the ridge of Dhukur Pokhari where we will enjoy lunch. The peaks of Pisang are now in view with their dazzling snow-capped peaks. You will also see the summit of Chulu Peak with the village of Pisang below us. Pisang village is a wind-swept village composed of people who came here centuries ago from Tibet. In the evening, we will explore the local monastery.  Trekking time is 6 – 7 hours.

Our journey today will lead us to the amazing Gurung village of Manang. This village is one of the largest villages belonging to the famed Gurung people, whose men have long composed the ranks of the Gurkha Soldiers. The trek takes us first through wonderfully aromatic pine forests where you can breathe in that alpine air. We reach a ridge that offers us the first view of the Manang valley with the tall, snow-capped peaks rising high above it. It is a fertile, green valley that features spectacular views of many high mountains of the Annapurna range of the Himalayas. Once we reach the village of Humde, it is a very enjoyable walk to Manang. Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours.

We are honored to be able to spend a day acclimatizing in the village of Manang as there is so much to see. There is an amazing Gurung Museum and even an opportunity to go and enjoy a movie here! After a short walk around the village, we see Mt. Gangapurna, Mt. Annapurna II, Mt. Annapurna III, Mt. Tilicho, the peaks of Pisang and many more. It is a stunning setting to be able to spend a day relaxing and enjoying the awesome views.

We’ve had a great time here in Manang, and now begin trekking again. This time we have an enjoyable walk to Tenki Manang for more stunning mountain views. It is a gentle climb across ridges and past juniper bushes. We are climbing above the tree line where vegetation becomes sparse. We will spend the night at Yak Kharka where local shepherds bring their sheep, goats and yaks to graze in the summer months. Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours.

With the higher elevation, we take it a bit slower as we make our way to the village of Thorong Phedi. We climb along the east bank of the Jorsang Khola as we gaze at the snowcapped peaks that surround us. It is a great view in every direction. We stop for tea at a tiny little tea shop before continuing on a narrow path to Thorong Phedi. We will spend the night at a tea house in Thorong Phedi. Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours.

Today we cross the highest of the mountain passes. We may see snow up here and the winds are always blowing. But what an incredible view of all of the mighty Annapurna Mountains! It makes any hardship in trekking to the top of Throng La Pass well worth the effort as you stand in awe, gazing at the snowcapped peaks.  There is no doubt that today will be the most taxing day of our journey, but once you make the top of the pass, you will forget how much work it was to get there! From Throng La Pass, we go downhill until we reach the sacred temples of Muktinath where we will spend the night in a local tea house. Trekking time today is 7 – 8 hours.

The morning breaks with the sounds of temple bells ringing from the devotees and pilgrims who come to worship here. This temple is holy ground to both Hindus and Buddhists. There is an ever-burning flame inside of the temple plus water bubbling out of 108 brass spigots. We explore the Muktinath temple before continuing our journey to Jomsom. It is an easy trek to Kagbesi village, descending through some awesome and inspiring scenery along the way as we pass by the Kali Gandaki River. A sacred river dedicated to the goddess Kali, it features the deepest canyon in the world. Our journey will take us to Jomsom where we will spend our last night on the trail. Jomsom is a major village on the old Trans-Himalayan Salt Trade Route to Tibet. It is also the capital of the Mustang region. We will overnight at a good local hotel for the night. Trekking time is 5 – 6 hrs.

Our days of trekking have come to an end, but the scenery never quits. We fly over the Annapurna Mountains to reach the beautiful lakeside city of Pokhara. The flight will take us between two of the highest peaks in the world: Mt. Annapurna (10th highest peak at 8,091 m/26,538 ft.) and Mt. Dhaulagiri (7th highest peak at 8,167 m/26,788 ft.) We land in Pokhara where we will enjoy a hotel with a hot water shower and great food. Enjoy looking around Pokhara in the evening.

We return by luxury bus, following along the Marsyangdi and Trisuli Rivers. These buses are relaxing and enjoyable as you watch the impressive scenery. We arrive in Kathmandu late afternoon where you will be taken to your hotel to rest.

It’s a free day here in the capital city of Kathmandu. Go and enjoy visiting some of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites that you have missed, read a book in a garden or do some shopping for souvenirs in Thamel. In the evening, attend a farewell dinner with your guide, porters, and staff of Himalayan Planet Adventures.

Please note: if the Jomsom to Pokhara flight is delayed, then the leisure day in Kathmandu is canceled. This is a reserve day.

It’s the final day, and you can do a little shopping in Thamel near your hotel before your representative of Himalayan Planet Adventures takes you back to your hotel Today is your day to leave the magical land of Nepal, but you don’t have to. There are many more places to explore in this incredible country nestled in the very heart of the Himalayas. Before you consider leaving, be sure to discuss with your representative at Himalayan Planet Adventures about additional trips in not only in Nepal but also in Tibet, Bhutan, India, Bangladesh, and Thailand. Your representative can help you to enjoy an incredible adventure into the wild Himalayas as well as south Asia.